“2019 was a fluke” – Fans react as England get bundled out for 156 vs Sri Lanka in 2023 World Cup clash

The England batting unit once again disappointed in the 2023 World Cup, this time against Sri Lanka at the batting-friendly M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday, October 26. After choosing to bat first, Jos Buttler and Co. were skittled out for 156 runs in 33.2 overs.

Jonny Bairstow (30 off 31) and Dawid Malan (28 off 25) provided a promising start as they shared 45 runs for the opening wicket. Angelo Mathews provided the first breakthrough for Sri Lanka, dismissing Malan caught behind by Kusal Mendis.

The opening wicket triggered a collapse as the defending champions kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Ben Stokes top-scored with 43 off 73 balls, including six boundaries.

Lahiru Kumara starred with the ball for Sri Lanka, finishing with figures of 3/35, while Kasun Rajitha and Angelo Mathews picked up two wickets apiece. Maheesh Theeskshana took the final wicket by dismissing Mark Wood, stumped out by Mendis.

Fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) trolled England for their below-par performance against Sri Lanka to continue their dismal show in the 2023 World Cup. Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana wrote:

"Yeh England ki batting ko kya ho gaya ben stokes? (Ben Stokes! What has happened to England's batting?"

Here are some more reactions:

England yet to beat Sri Lanka in ODI World Cups since 1999 in World Cups

England are yet to beat Sri Lanka in the ODI World Cups since 1999, when they won by eight wickets. Since then, Lanka have defeated England in 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019 editions of the marquee ICC tournament.

Jos Buttler-led England began this year's 50-over tournament on a bad note, losing their opening game against New Zealand by nine wickets. However, they bounced back to beat Bangladesh by 137 runs to register their first win in the tournament. England then lost to Afghanistan and South Africa by 69 and 229 runs, respectively.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka are also low in confidence despite a scintillating effort with the ball against England. The Islanders have managed a solitary win against the Netherlands by five wickets in their first four matches.

Follow the ENG vs SL live score and updates here.